Philip “Phil” Paxson was a 47-year-old father of two young daughters who lived with his family in Hickory, North Carolina. He was known as a loving husband and father.
On September 30, 2022, Philip’s family hosted a camping-themed birthday party for one of their daughters. After the celebration ended, Philip stayed behind to help clean up, while his wife, Alecia, drove the children home.
Later that evening, after the cleanup work was finished, Philip prepared to drive home to rejoin his family. He did not know the neighborhood well and relied on Google Maps to guide him. Around late at night, he began driving along the route shown on the app.
Unbeknownst to him, the route took him toward a place called Snow Creek Bridge — a bridge that had collapsed nearly a decade earlier in 2013 due to flood damage. The bridge was never repaired or rebuilt, and at night there were no warning lights, reflective markers, or strong barriers to indicate that the road ended.
Because it was dark and the bridge had been left in place in a broken-down condition, the map continued to show the road as passable. Without realizing the danger, Philip’s vehicle drove straight off where the bridge once stood and fell approximately 20 feet into the creek below.
Tragically, Philip became trapped inside his vehicle in the water. Rescue crews were called, but he did not survive the fall. He died at the scene, leaving behind his wife and two daughters.
The Lawsuit
Almost a year after the tragedy, on September 21, 2023, Philip’s wife, Alecia Paxson, filed a lawsuit seeking justice and accountability for her husband’s death.
In her legal complaint, she alleged that:
- Google failed to update its maps even after multiple users had reported that Snow Creek Bridge had been long collapsed. According to the lawsuit, people had used Google Maps’ reporting tools years earlier to inform the company that the road was no longer passable, but the corrections were never made, and the map continued to direct drivers over the nonexistent bridge.
- The lawsuit also named other parties connected with the private roadway and bridge ownership, claiming that proper maintenance, warnings, or safety measures should have been provided but were not.
The lawsuit claims that Philip trusted the directions shown on Google Maps and that this trust led him onto a dangerous and incorrect route that should never have been shown as a safe way home.
Alecia’s attorneys are seeking compensatory and punitive damages through a jury trial. The lawsuit argues that the failures of those responsible for mapping and road safety directly contributed to Philip’s death, and that accountability and change are necessary to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Impact on the Family
Philip’s wife and children have been left to cope with a devastating loss. The family has described how his daughters still struggle with understanding why their father died, and how the loss has deeply affected their lives.
The lawsuit is an effort by Alecia to hold responsible parties accountable, to seek justice for her husband’s death, and to help ensure that similar incidents don’t happen to others.
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